In an ongoing massacre, the Israeli occupation army has killed over 400 Palestinians and destroyed and burned 1,050 houses in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, as the raid and siege of the compound continue for the 13th consecutive day.
The official media office in Gaza reported that the occupation army committed crimes of destruction, arson, and targeting of homes during the 13-day invasion of Al-Shifa Medical Complex.
According to the statement, the number of targeted houses reached 1,050, and the army killed over 400 people, in addition to the arrest and torture of hundreds of patients, displaced persons, and medical staff inside and around Al-Shifa Medical Complex.
The statement pointed out that ‘the occupation army continues to hold 107 besieged patients inside Al-Shifa Complex in inhumane conditions without water, medicine, food, or electricity.’ It clarified that among the besieged patients are 30 beds and around 60 medical personnel working in the complex.
The statement said, “The occupation prevents any attempts to evacuate these patients through international institutions, putting their lives at stake and in imminent danger.”
The statement added, ‘The responsibility for the participation and engagement in the genocide and ethnic cleansing carried out by the Israeli army in Gaza lies with the US administration, the international community, some European countries, and Israel.’
The statement called on international organizations, Arab and Islamic countries to move beyond silence and condemnation to practical positions, real measures, and field actions to stop the genocide war, the invasion of hospitals, and the destruction of the health sector.
On Thursday, the official media office in Gaza announced that the Israeli occupation army executed over 200 Palestinians inside Al-Shifa Medical Complex in western Gaza City and arrested about 1,000 others since its invasion more than a week ago.
This is the second time that the Israeli occupation forces have raided Al-Shifa Medical Complex since the beginning of the war on the Strip on October 7th last year, as they first stormed it on November 16th last year after besieging it for at least a week.
At that time, the occupation forces withdrew from the hospital on November 24th after destroying its yards, parts of its buildings, medical equipment, and the hospital’s power generator.
The new invasion of Al-Shifa requires urgent action by the international community to ensure the protection of patients’ rights, provide necessary medical care for them, and hold the Israeli occupation accountable for human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law, which stipulates the protection of medical facilities and personnel during conflicts.
Since October 7th, the Israeli occupation army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in dire humanitarian conditions and a major health and environmental catastrophe due to the destruction of vital facilities and widespread sewage overflow.
At the start of the war, the occupation cut off all electricity, water, fuel, and food supplies to the entire population of the Gaza Strip, bombarded hospitals, health centers, bakeries, factories, shops, water stations, and reservoirs, and destroyed the infrastructure.
